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Pressly faces vaunted Twins' lineup

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FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It was only a live batting-practice session at Hammond Stadium but it would be hard to blame right-hander Ryan Pressly for being a little nervous on Wednesday.

Pressly, who was acquired from the Red Sox in the Rule 5 Draft in December, threw against Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Josh Willingham and Trevor Plouffe with manager Ron Gardenhire watching from the infield.

"There were some big guys standing there in the box," Pressly said with a laugh. "But it was fun to face those guys and see what they can do and what I can throw to them. I thought I got good results, but they also capitalized on a few balls being up. Morneau hit a good single to center field."

Pressly fared well, as he was also able to get Morneau to swing and miss on a changeup on one of the first pitches he threw. Morneau was fooled on the pitch and wasn't happy with his swing, which was fine with Pressly.

"If I can get somebody to swear at a changeup then I'm doing my job," Pressly said. "Hopefully, I can keep doing that."

Gardenhire said he came away impressed by Pressly but wants to see him pitch in games this spring. Pressly, who has yet to pitch above Double-A, is set to make his Grapefruit League debut in the club's opener against the Orioles on Saturday.

"It was good," Gardenhire said of Pressly. "He misfired a little bit. Fastball was pretty decent. Second time out there, first time I've seen him. Spinning the ball. I don't put as much stock into watching him throw in this cage as we do in the games and everything. That will be telltale. But he handled himself all right."

Pressly must remain on the Twins' 25-man roster for the entire season, or else he must be offered back to the Red Sox. Another option -- if they don't want to keep him on the active roster all year -- would be to offer him back and acquire him in a trade like the Twins did in 2011 with Scott Diamond.